Acetylene-gas generator



June 23, 1925; 1,543,058

. M. H. COMPTON ACETYIfENE GAS GENERATOR Filed-Aug. 3, 1921 11 F :20 I I 1 1%? f; r a 2- 4. a I 3 7'2- I z j wuwtm v Marimn H: flnmpiun Patented June 23, 1925.

pA-Temomc IVIARION H; COMPTON, OF DIUSCATINE, IOXVA.

AoE'rYLENE eA-s GENERATOR.

Application filed August 3,1921/ Serial No. 489,586.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, MARION H. COMPTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Muscatine, in the county of Muscatine and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Acetylene-Gas Generators, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to acetylene gas generators of that type known as pit plants wherein a container or casing is provided sunken in the ground to avoid freezing and having water in its lower end, with a gas bell disposed above the water and a carbide receptacle containedwithin the gas bell and operated by the gas bell tocause' the discharge of carbide into the water in the lower end of the container. r One of the objects of this invention is to provide an outer casing whose lower end constitutes a chamber containing water, this casing having its lower end formed to provide a relatively deep inverted cone so that the sludge or carbide from which gas has beengenerated will collectinthe extreme lower end of the casing, the generator being sobonstructed that at intervals the gas bell andthe carbide holder may be removed from the casing and a pipe inserted downward through the upper end ofthe casing to the extreme lower end of said tapered bottom which will make possible the pumping oif or withdrawal of the refuse matter or residue without inconvenience and without the necessity of withdrawing the water inthe lower endof the casing or tank. Another object of the invention is to provide an outer casing having its lower end sharply tapering downward, or in other words being'in the form of adeep inverted cone, so that in installingthe machinein a pit in the ground with its top .even with or a trifle below the surface of the ground, the "cone-shaped'bottom shall providean easy manner of leveling up the machine, this cone-shapedbottom further acting under the weight of the water within the "machine, which is approximately about 200 gallons, to cause said -machine to settle after heingplaced in-the pit and cause said machine to settle in a perpendicular position and retain the machine in the same vertical position as when installed.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description. v

My invention is illustrated in the accome pa'nying drawings, wherein:

The figure is a verticalsectional view of an acetylene'gas generator constructed in accordance with my invention.

Referring to these drawings,- 10 designates the outer casing of the generator,

which may, be of any desired length and dlameter, and supported in any suitable .manner, the lower end of this casing being downwardly tapered or having the form of an inverted cone, asat 11. Above the tapered lowerend of'the casing there is provided an upwardly and inwardly extending flange 12 which is'riveted or otherwise attached'to the .wallof the casing and the top of the casing is closed byv a removable capor cover 13 v Disposed within the upper portion of the casing 10 above the water therein and resting upon the flange v12 is a'pedestal 14 outwardly .flared at its lower end, as at 15, to

.restupon the flange 12. Thepedestal at-its upperlend is double walled so that an annular sealing space 17 is formed between. the

outer wall 16 and theinner wall of the pedestal, this sealing space being filled with water and abovethe level of the water the sealing space has-perforations 18. 19 designates a gas bell of usual form with its lower portion disposed within the sealing compartment 17 The perforations 18 permit gas to pass from 'the'interior of the pedestal to the interior of the bell. The bell has a handle 20 whereby it may be raised.

I 14. .A laterally extending chute 23 extends from the lower end ofthe hopper 22. -The discharge through this chute is controlled by a valve 25. Any other suitable valve may be. used, however. .The valve is pivoted and provided with an arm'80 extending upward to a lever 33 disposed within the housing 31 and mounted upon a supporting bar 32. The lever is pivoted at 34 and is pivoted adjacent its outer end to the extremity of the arm 30. The lever at its other end is pivotally connected to a vertically extending rod 36 which terminates in a tapered extremity disposed just above the opening from the hopper.- A weight 37 is carried on the end of the lever.

If the gas in the bell is reduced, the gas bell falls, strikes the upper end of the rod 36, raises the outer end of the lever 33, and this opens the valve 25, allowing the discharge of carbide. As soon as sullicient gas has formed as to cause the raising and lifting of the bell, the bell will lift and the weight 37 will cause the parts to return to their normal positions. The rod 36 also acts to break up the carbide in the lower end of the container.

A reserve carbide container 38 is disposed within the upper end of the hopper and is normally closed by a valve 39. The

valve is held closed by a latch 40 on the lower end of the lever 41, the upper end of the lever extending into the path of movement of the top of the gas bell. Thus if the gas bell should continue to lower after it has struck rod 36, the gas bell will eventually strike the upper end of the lever or rod 41, tilt this rod, and thus withdraw the latch from underneath the valve 39 and the valve will drop, permitting the reserve supply of carbide to be discharged into the container. The gas discharge pipe 42 has its lower end extending into the water contained in the lower portion of the casing 10. The upper end of this pipe is closed by a cap and has a branch 43 extending out from the casing, and disposed in the length of this pipe 42 is a filter. Connected to the lower end of the pipe 42 is a branch 45 which extends upward into position just below the hopper-shaped portion 22 of the carbide container and is bent to form an inlet terminal 46. .The gas within the gas bell will be discharged out through this inlet terminal 46 through the pipes 42 and 43.

The acetylene gas generating mechanism which is disposed within the bell and the particular construction of the bell itself forms the subject-matter of a separate application for patent filed on the 9th day of December, 1922, Serial No. 605,854, which is a division of the present application, this invention relating merely to the shape of the casing 10 and the manner in which this casing 10 operates. The general operation of the carbide feeding mechanism will be understood from what has gone before.

There are two very important advantages in a casing such as the casing 10' formed with the very sharply conical lower end 11,

leave the pedestal resting upon the flange 12. It is not necessary ordinarily to remove the pedestal 14 nor to'withdraw the water within the sealing space 17. Nhen sludge is to be removed, then a pipe is insert-ed downward through the casing so the lower end of the pipe is adjacent the lower extremity of the tapered portion 11 of the outer casing and the sludge may be withdrawn without withdrawing the water within the lower end of the casing and without disturbing this water and causing the suspension of sludge particles therein. Of course, if it is desired to remove the pedestal also, this can be readily done by lifting it 0d of its engagement with the flange 12. By reason of the slightly diiferent angles of the flared portion 15 and of the flange 12, a wedging engagement is secured between this flange 15 and the flange 12 which will secure a yery tight joint between the pedestal and the flange 12 and at the same time this joint being disposed below the water line it is water-sealed.

A very important advantage secured by: the inverted cone-shaped bottom or lower end of the outer casing is that in installing the machine in a. pit the cone-shaped bottom provides a convenient and easy method of leveling said machine. In other words, if the lower end of the outer casing were relatively flat it would be obviously diflicult to so place the casing that its axiswas truly vertical, and it is obvious that in order for the machine to work properlythat its axis should be truly vertical. \Vith. the coneshaped bottom, however, the casing rests upon the tip of the cone-shaped bottom as upon a pivot and may be rocked in oneedirection or the other until the axisof the casing is truly vertical. Furthermore, when the'machine is installed the weight. of the water in the generator chamber, thatis in sary in order that the sludge shall accumulate at the lowest possible portion of thebottom and, therefore, be removable through a pipe. If the bottom was a shallow cone, this sludge would not tend to settle insuch a concentrated form at the axial center of the (3.2- machine as would permit its removal through a pipe without such a disturbance of the sludge as would' render itinecessary to practically entirely remove all of the water is removed with the sludge, thus do-.

ing away with the necessity of entirely removing all of the water, which is one of the great objections to the ordinary acetylene gas generator, and, of course, this does away with the necessity of filling up the generator again with water.

I claim A gas generator including an outer metallic casing constituting a closed container and adapted to be embedded in the ground, the lower end ofthe outer casing being downwardly tapered to form a relatively deep, inverted, acutely pointed cone whereby to facilitate the embedding and installing of the casing and the removal of sludge, the

casing terminating at the extreme apex of the cone, and gas generating mechanism disposed within the casing.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aifix my signature.

MARION H. COMPTON. 

